Troy, Michigan--April 20, 2005--
Navya Shastra, the international Hindu organization of scholars,
practitioners and priests dedicated to fostering the spiritual equality
of all Hindus, has announced an International Untouchability Awareness
Campaign to highlight the persistent and pervasive discrimination faced
by so-called lower castes and Harijans, in rural India every day.

Unlike
secular human rights organizations, Navya Shastra is comprised of
religious Hindus who seek religious solutions to the problems faced by
these communities. "We are deeply frustrated that the Hindu religious
leadership rarely speaks out against the caste atrocities that Harijan
Hindus face every day, said Dr. Jaishree Gopal, Navya Shastra
Co-chairman, "unless Hindus themselves seriously examine these
problems,
we have no right to criticize international agencies who do substantive
work on their behalf."

Dr. Gopal noted that the leaders of the Hindu community in the United
States were focused more on presenting a positive image of Hinduism and tend to be apathetic about using their
resources to redress the religious problems faced by the so-called
lower
castes.

There are over 40,000 reported caste crimes in India every year, and
many more go unreported. Lower castes are denied entry into rural
temples, cannot obtain water at village wells, and are raped, beaten
and
tortured. Navya Shastra's awareness campaign will include presentations
at temples and conferences in the United States, other nations with
substantial Hindu populations, and in India. "We believe that caste
discrimination is not sanctioned by the Hindu scriptures. It is a
convenient ruse employed by so-called upper castes to retain their
privileged position in society", said Dr. Gopal.

Navya Shastra recently welcomed Bhagwati Charan Bhatpare to its Board
of Advisors. Mr. Bhatpare, a high school teacher from India's state
of Chattisgarh,
comes from the Satnami community, considered Harijan by the area's surrounding caste Hindus. "Bhagwati's experiences and insight will help Navya Shastra better understand the day to day problems faced by
Harijans", said Professor Ramdas Lamb, a Navya Shastra advisor from the University of Hawaii. "Once when I asked him what I could do to
help his Harijan students, he emphasized the need for educational
opportunities for them as well as for poor students from all castes. He and his family have been able to minimize their direct encounters
with the prejudice of untouchability by becoming educated, and people like him can help show the way to many more," he added.